Pan, who sat on a stool in front of her home in an attempt to block the demolition, was forcibly removed by police. A hydraulic shovel then came in, and Pan's house was demolished in less than five minutes despite Pan and her daughter's tears and pleadings.
"Where am I going to stay? I don't qualify for an apartment," Pan cried.
"We're just carrying out our superior's order. There's nothing we can do to help," a county Water Resource Bureau official, who declined to be named, told Pan.
"You didn't sign the agreement, so we can only [demolish your house]," said another bureau official, who also refused to give his name.
However, some of the "registered" residents, who are qualified to move into the apartments, said they cannot afford the move.
rent
"Of course we'd love to move into an apartment if we could afford it -- who wouldn't?" Lu said.
Lu lives with his father, four brothers and her four children, including one who is less than a month old.
"My father is unemployed. One of my brothers is doing military service, while the others are still in school. I have four children to feed, and my husband is in prison," Lu said. "There's practically no one making money in this family -- how are we supposed to pay NT$6,000 in rent?"
According to the IPB, a family of six to seven can move into a three-bedroom apartment that rents for NT$6,048 a month, while a family of three to five can get a two-bedroom apartment for NT$4,536 and a family of two can get a one-bedroom unit for NT$2,267. Single people have to share an apartment with others.
Aside from rent, they have to pay utility bills.
During the interview, Lu's brother, who is attending junior high school, came home for lunch. He made a bowl of instant noodles, ate half of it and passed it around for other members of the family to share.
"My father built our home himself. It's not a perfect place to live in, it leaks when it rains, but it's still our home," Lu said. "We really don't have money. I don't know where we will go if they tear down our house."
"Of course you have to pay rent if you want to live in an apartment. Not only have we offered the apartments at a discount, but we have also waived the maintenance fee," Yang told the Taipei Times when asked if the IPB has any plans to help those who qualify for apartments but can't afford them.
"If they really don't have money, they can apply for low-income family compensation from the Social Affairs Bureau," Yang said.
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